China to North Korea: If You Strike US First, We Won’t Protect You

China warned North Korea on Friday that if they conduct a missile strike against the US, Beijing will not come to their aid after the inevitable retaliation.

Beijing has consistently called for dialogue to resolve the growing tension on the Korean Peninsula. However, the state-owned Global Times newspaper published an editorial warning both Pyongyang and Washington that, “when their actions jeopardize China’s interests, China will respond with a firm hand.”

The article also clarified that “if North Korea launches missiles that threaten US soil first and the US retaliates, China will stay neutral.” On the other hand, “f the US and South Korea carry out strikes and try to overthrow the North Korean regime and change the political pattern of the Korean Peninsula, China will prevent them from doing so.”

China’s statement caps off a week that has seen North Korea and the US exchanging barbs in a war of words that has escalated to threats. US President Donald Trump responded to the North’s ongoing ballistic missile tests on Tuesday by threatening “fire and fury like the world has never seen.”